Academy: The digestive system
Digestion: The journey of food in the digestive tract!
Food entering the digestive tract is chewed, ground, broken down and converted to nutrients that enable the body to perform all its functions. At the end of this journey, which lasts more than 24 hours, the body expels everything it has not used. Farts, rumbles and burps are signs that your body is working properly.
4.1 The organs in the digestive tract
What are the components of the digestive system?
The digestive system, comprising the digestive tract and its accessory glands, breaks down and absorbs food. As food journeys through the digestive tract, it passes one segment after another, each fulfilling a particular function. The enteric nervous system, also known as the ‘abdominal brain’, orchestrates all these functions.
4.1.1 The role of the digestive system
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4.1.2 The anatomy of the digestive tract
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4.1.3 The digestive glands
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4.1.4 The abdominal brain
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4.2 The stages of digestion
The different stages of digestion, step by step!
In this course, we explore the sequence of mechanical and chemical processes that gradually transform the food into simpler elements: nutrients. The organism then absorbs them in order to assimilate them.
4.2.1 Transforming food
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4.2.2 Mechanical and chemical transformation
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4.2.3 From the mouth to the anus
4.2.4 The mouth
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4.2.5 The oesophagus
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4.2.6 The stomach
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4.2.7 The small intestine
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4.2.8 The large intestine
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4.2.9 Intestinal flora
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4.3 Historical representations of digestion
Digestion: From Galen’s discoveries to the present day.
From Galen’s description to the 17th-century mechanical model, scientific developments throughout history have enabled us to build up our current knowledge of digestion.
4.3.1 In the 2nd century
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4.3.2 In the 17th century
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4.3.3 From the 18th to the 20th century
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4.3.4 Today
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4.4 Digestive phenomena
All there is to know about diarrhoea, rumbling stomachs, farts and burps!
The annoyances we sometimes experience, such as diarrhoea, hiccups and belching, may be embarrassing, but they are part of the normal functions of the digestive tract. We will explore what causes them.
4.4.1 What is a digestive event?
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4.4.2 Food going down the wrong way
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4.4.3 Eructation
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4.4.4 Hiccups
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4.4.5 Stomach ache
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4.4.6 Vomiting
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4.4.7 Borborygmus
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4.4.8 Intestinal wind
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4.4.9 Diarrhoea
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4.4.10 Constipation
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Alimentarium Academy
- Food and the 5 senses
What role do our 5 senses play in our perception of the food we eat?
- Food and nutrients
A varied and balanced diet. What does it mean? What is the role of the nutrients found in our food?
- Processing food
Why do we need to process food before eating it? Understanding food labels.
- The digestive system
A trip inside the digestive tract!
- Ecology and food economy
Understanding the economic and environmental implications of producing food.
- Eating, moving and growing
Why do we need food? How can we get all we need to run, play and feel good?